Rubbish collection vehicle

ABSTRACT

A rubbish collection vehicle with a rubbish collection container located on a chassis behind the driver&#39;s cab has a rubbish intake unit which comprises a rubbish compaction unit for forcing the rubbish in an operating direction through a container intake opening. The operating direction of the rubbish compaction unit extends at an oblique angle from the front/bottom to the top/back upwardly to the roof of the rubbish collection container. A projection has been provided in the area of the container intake opening on the bed of the rubbish collection container to reduce the cross section of the container intake opening. As a result of the direction of operation selected, rubbish is compacted across the total cross-sectional area of the rubbish collection container, as well as being initially compacted against the roof of the rubbish collection container, thereby enabling optimal utilization of the entire container capacity. The projection on the bed of the rubbish collection container further prevents the undesirable escape of rubbish out through the container intake opening.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

1. Field of the Invention

This invention relates to a rubbish collection vehicle of the typeutilizing a compaction unit which allows the entire rubbish collectioncontainer to be used to its maximum capacity. More particularly, theinvention relates to a compaction unit which pushes the rubbish upwardlyfrom the front of the rubbish collection container to the rear thereofat an oblique angle.

2. Description of the Prior Art

German Patent DE-PS 34 01 069 discloses a rubbish collection vehicle inwhich rubbish is fed into a rubbish hopper from a compacting arealocated beneath the hopper and is forced into the rubbish collectioncontainer of the rubbish collection vehicle in a horizontal direction bya rubbish compacting plate. Due to the position of the inlet hopperabove the rubbish compacting plate, which operates in the horizontaldirection of operation, rubbish can be transported forwardly into thelower part (approximately 1/3) of the rubbish collection container. As aconsequence, rubbish compaction fails to occur in the upper part(approximately 2/3) of the rubbish collection container. No rubbishwhatsoever can be loaded into the front, upper space of the rubbishcollection container. In the rubbish collection vehicle taught in thispatent, therefore, a large part of the total available volume of therubbish collection container cannot be effectively utilized. To counterthis drawback, an extremely large rubbish collection container wouldhave to be provided for the rubbish collection vehicle. The requiredlarge rubbish collection container would not possess satisfactory spaceutilization characteristics and would require a larger rubbishcollection vehicle.

German Patent DE-PS 34 20 058 discloses a rubbish collection vehiclewhich also has a rubbish compacting plate located in the vehicle'sbottom third portion, which operates to advance or push the rubbish in ahorizontal direction. With the aid of a thrust plate connected to therubbish compacting plate, the rubbish can also be pushed further intothe rubbish collection container. Experience has shown that satisfactorycompaction of rubbish is not achieved with this rubbish collectionvehicle. Consequently, the available capacity of the rubbish collectioncontainer cannot be fully utilized.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

It is an object of the invention to provide a rubbish collection vehiclewhich allows for front or side loading such that a higher level ofuniform rubbish compaction extending over the entire rubbish collectioncontainer can be achieved, thereby allowing for an increased quantity ofrubbish to be taken in.

It is a further object of the invention to provide a rubbish collectionvehicle having a rubbish compaction system which maximizes theutilization of the rubbish collection container.

It is yet an additional object of the invention to provide a rubbishcollection vehicle having a rubbish compaction system which is simple indesign, can be used on mass produced chassis, and can be used with aremovable rubbish collection container.

Accordingly, these and related objects are achieved by arranging therubbish compaction unit such that its direction of operation proceedsupwardly towards the roof at an oblique angle from the front/bottom tothe top/back of the rubbish collection container. Thus, rubbish iscompacted in the total cross-sectional area of the rubbish collectioncontainer, as well as being initially compacted against the roofthereof. This allows for the total utilization of the rubbish collectioncontainer. At the same time, the rubbish compacting plate of the rubbishcompaction unit, within its scope of operation, can be used onlysparingly and can still achieve a correspondingly high level ofcompaction.

In addition, the intended direction of operation of the rubbishcompaction unit makes it possible to provide for an extension on thefront side of the rubbish collection container which extends in theoperating direction and which, prior to detaching the container from therubbish compaction unit, seals the container intake opening. Theprojection is located in the forward area of the container intakeopening on the floor or bed of the rubbish collection container. Theprojection reduces the size of the intake opening and is considered tobe a further important feature of the invention. In addition to thedirection of operation of the rubbish compaction unit, the projection,which has a nose-shaped configuration which specifically preventsrubbish which has already been pushed into the rubbish collectioncontainer and compacted from exiting the container through the intakeopening. This unwanted exiting of rubbish through the container intakeopening can occur during a subsequent intake operation, in the event theintake remains open for a brief period of time. The projection serves asan obstacle for rubbish which has already been taken in and effectivelyprevents rubbish taken in from escaping back out the intake opening ofthe container.

In addition, the rubbish collection vehicle of the present inventionenables the rubbish compaction unit to be located in such a way that theintake hopper extends as far down as possible on the chassis.Furthermore, the entire rubbish intake unit can be positioned very closeto the back side of the vehicle's cab without coming into contact withsuperstructure elements located behind the cab, such as, for example,fenders, cab anchoring, the gears of the motor, etc.

In a first embodiment of the invention, the direction of operationextends at an angle of less than 80° and greater than 20° from thehorizon towards the rear. In practice, this arc has shown itself to beparticularly advantageous in achieving a uniform compaction of therubbish taken in. This results in increasing the rubbish containercapacity so that a larger amount of rubbish can be fed in.

In a second advantageous embodiment of the invention, the front side ofthe rubbish collection container is equipped with a telescopic extensionto seal the container intake opening. This provision enables the intakeopening of the rubbish collection container to be sealed before thelatter is detached and separated from the rubbish compaction unit inorder to be emptied.

As described above, an important feature of the rubbish collectionvehicle of the present invention is that the rubbish compaction unitfunctions in a direction of operation which extends at an oblique anglerearwardly and upwardly. On the other hand, in the prior art frontloading collection vehicles, the rubbish is advanced or pushed in ahorizontal direction. The method of pushing rubbish at an oblique angleand by the operation for the rubbish compaction unit is, of course,already known in the art. However, in such known configurations, theentire rubbish intake unit is located at the rear of the rubbishcollection vehicle or rubbish collection container and the rubbish is,therefore, pushed upwardly and towards the front of the vehicle. Thus,the direction of operation in the present invention, therefore, extendsin the opposite direction, namely, obliquely from the front/bottom tothe top/back. Furthermore, with the prior art rubbish compaction units,no provision has been made for a projection, as with the presentinvention. Utilization of such a projection with rubbish compactionunits of the kind known in the art hardly would serve any purpose andwould be altogether useless, specifically because the projection wouldobstruct the emptying of the rubbish collection container at the rear.

These and other objects and advantages of the present invention willbecome apparent from the following description of the accompanyingdrawings, which disclose several embodiments of the invention. It is tobe understood that the drawings are to be used for purposes ofillustration only, and not as a definition of the invention.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

Further advantages and details can be gleaned from the drawings whereinsimilar reference numerals denote similar elements throughout theseveral views:

FIG. 1 is a schematic side view of a rubbish collection vehicleaccording to a first embodiment of the invention;

FIG. 2 is an enlarged side view of the compaction unit of the rubbishcollection vehicle according to FIG. 1 in greater detail, and;

FIG. 3 is an enlarged side view of a second embodiment of the compactionunit of the rubbish collection vehicle.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

Referring to FIG. 1, there is shown a rubbish collection vehicle 10 witha driver's cab 12, chassis 14, and rubbish collection container 16located on a support frame 34. Behind driver's cab 12, there is arubbish intake unit 18, which is equipped with a rubbish intake opening24 located on the side and top or with a rubbish intake opening 24'located on the top and front, behind the driver's cab. An intake hopper26 is connected to rubbish intake openings 24 or 24', which continuouslypasses over the width of the container and the adjacent rubbishcompaction area 28, which area is preferably cradle-shaped.

On the top and on the sides, up to the height of rubbish intake opening24, rubbish intake unit 18 is aligned with and covered by the sides ofrubbish collection container 16. Consequently, the rubbish containersmay be emptied without a problem by means of a mechanism known in theart.

Rubbish intake unit 18 comprises a rubbish compacting plate 20 and asupport plate 22 which supports plate 20 and which combination forms therubbish compaction unit. The direction of operation of the rubbishcompaction unit or rubbish compacting plate 20 is shown by arrows A.Rubbish is, therefore, taken into rubbish collection container 16 byrubbish compacting plate 20. Plate 20 is mounted at a pivot point 32 tothe lower end of support plate 22 and which can be pivoted with the helpof an operating device (not shown) such as a hydraulic cylinder. Supportplate 22 is slidably mounted and can be made to slide up and down alongtracks 30 in the direction of the double arrow C shown in FIG. 2.Furthermore, support plate 22 can be driven or moved along tracks 30 inan angled direction by means of an operating device (not shown).

The operating direction A of rubbish compacting plate 20 extends at anangle less than 80° and greater than 20° with respect to horizontal line54. Rubbish collection container 16, which rests by means of supportframe 34 on vehicle chassis 14, has a horizontal bed 38, a top side 50,and a front side 40. At the rear, rubbish collection container 16 isclosed off by a hinged rear flap gate 36 which pivots in order to permitthe emptying of the rubbish collection container.

The rubbish collection container is partially closed off in theoperating direction of rubbish intake unit 18 by front side 44 toprevent the rubbish taken in from escaping from rubbish collectioncontainer 16 back into rubbish intake hopper 26 of rubbish intake unit18. Adjacent to front side 40 of rubbish collection container 16 is acontainer opening 62, through which rubbish can be fed with the aid ofcompaction plate 20. Bed 38 of rubbish collection container 16 has ashort wall extending at a forward angle in the shape of an upwardly bentelbow, thereby forming a projection 56. At its upper edge, projection 56merges with cradle shaped bed 48 of rubbish compaction area 28. Thecross section of container opening 62 is reduced by projection 56, and,moreover, projection 56 prevents rubbish which has already been taken upinto the rubbish collection container from again escaping back out.

Within front side 40, there is mounted a telescopic extension 42 which,in its extended position, rotates about pivot 44 and moves into abearing position where it can be brought to bear on projection 56. Inthis position, extension 42 can be locked by means of a locking device46 in order to close off container opening 62 across its entire crosssection. Thereafter, closed rubbish collection container 16 can bedetached from rubbish collection vehicle 10 in order to be emptied.During this operation, rubbish intake unit 18 remains on rubbishcollection vehicle 10. In effecting this detachment and separateemptying of rubbish collection container 16, extension 42 which istelescoped out in the direction of double arrow B to close off containeropening 62 is of crucial importance.

It is possible to use hydraulic cylinders in actuating and operatingextension 42 in conjunction with locking mechanism 46. To prevent damagewhere fluid cylinders are used, a sequential circuit is recommended,which circuit will ensure that extension of telescopic extension 42 willonly be permitted whenever rubbish compacting plate 20 is not in thecompacting position. Moreover, it is intended that the locking ofextension 42 be permitted only when rotating axis 44 moves into abearing position (in the extended position shown in FIG. 2) andextension 42 rests against locking mechanism 46.

Referring to FIG. 3, there is shown a second embodiment of the rubbishcollection vehicle. In this configuration, a pivotable pressure plate 60has been provided which pivots about a pivot point 58. Plate 60 pivotsover cradle bed 48 into the compacting position. Thus, the direction ofoperation A, where angle is less than 80° and greater than 20° withrespect to horizon 54, is again achieved. The difference between thisembodiment and the embodiment of FIG. 2 rests in the fact that pressureplate 60 is mounted such that it can only pivot (i.e., the pivot pointdoes not move forwardly or rearwardly with respect to the vehicle) withthe result that in this configuration, support plate 22 and tracks 30are not required.

Due to the direction "A" selected for the operation of rubbish intakeunit 18 or for the operation of support plate 22 and the resultingconfiguration of cradle 48, intake hopper 26 can be advantageouslyconfigured in the front, lower area 52 in such a way that any existingstructures above the frame do not have to be modified. As a consequence,mass produced vehicle chassis can be used in manufacturing the rubbishcollection vehicle of the present invention.

While several of the embodiments and examples of the present inventionhave been illustrated and described, it is obvious that many changes andmodifications may be made thereunto, without departing from the spiritand scope of the invention.

What is claimed is:
 1. A rubbish collection vehicle comprising:achassis; a driver's cabin mounted on a forward portion of said chassis;a rubbish collection container having a floor and mounted on saidchassis, rearward of said driver's cabin, on a rear portion of saidchassis and having an intake opening on a front side thereof; a rubbishintake unit mounted adjacent said driver's cabin on a forward portion ofsaid chassis; a rubbish compaction unit having a bottom, a front, a topand a rear end and operating to compact rubbish from said rubbish intakeunit and to feed the rubbish into said rubbish collection container,said rubbish compaction unit feeding the rubbish in an operatingdirection extending upwardly from the bottom and front of the rubbishcollecting container to a top and rear thereof at an oblique angle; aprojection extending upwardly from the floor of said rubbish collectioncontainer adjacent said intake opening so as to reduce the size of saidintake opening; wherein said front side of the rubbish collectioncontainer extends at an oblique angle above said intake opening in adirection parallel to said operating direction; wherein said front sideof said rubbish collection container is equipped with a telescopicallyextendable plate to seal said rubbish collection container intakeopening; and wherein the telescopically extendable plate pivots in itsfully extended position about a pivot point and, for the purpose ofclosing said intake opening, abuts said projection on the floor of saidrubbish collection container.
 2. The rubbish collection vehicle as setforth in claim 1, wherein the rubbish compaction unit is located on saidoblique front side of said rubbish collection container.
 3. The rubbishcollection vehicle as set forth in claim 1,wherein said bottom of saidrubbish compaction unit is horizontal; and wherein said operatingdirection extends upwardly and rearwardly at an oblique angle of lessthan 80° and greater than 20° from the horizontal.
 4. The rubbishcollection vehicle as set forth in claim 1, wherein said rubbishcompaction unit comprises a support plate mounted on said front side ofsaid rubbish collection container which plate is extendable in thedirection of operation and which plate, at its lower end, supports arubbish compaction plate.